First Ride: Ducati Streetfighter V4S

It’s one thing making the most powerful, exciting and perhaps brilliant supernaked to ever grace the earth, but what happens when the time comes to top it?

WORDS: Bruce Wilson PHOTOS: Ducati

How do you perfect perfection? The Streetfighter’s evolution was, of course, inevitable, but truthfully speaking, there wasn’t much wrong with the last one. In my humble opinion, the box-fresh beast that hit the scene in 2020 would still batter the core of today’s supernaked sector. Ducati created a monster, and several years on its brilliance still reverberates the world over. The downside to that success is the expectation that consequently follows… people always want more.

Ultimately, Ducati rewrote the rulebook with the Streetfighter, pumping out a street naked weighing less than 200kg and making more than 200bhp… for context, making it more powerful and lighter than a number of thoroughbred sportsbikes – the cheek of it. That formula has gone on to prove a winner in our magazine tests – but, more importantly, in the showrooms.

Fast-forward to the back end of 2022 and Ducati showcased its ‘new’ Streetfighter V4 familia. The problem is that most people, including myself, had a hard job telling it was new. From 10 yards it still looked the same, with the only obvious aesthetic difference being to the fuel tank (that’s been nabbed off the 22-spec Panigale V4) and the streamlined shoulders that brace it. Oh, and it now comes in Grey Nero paintwork as well as the iconic Ducati Red option. When you’re trying to crank the hype and justify a £23k price tag for the best-selling V4S option, those of us who are familiar with the model want more. And that’s exactly what we are getting… but it’s not that blatant to see.

It’s only when you go delving into the small print that you realise the fettling that’s taken place. As per the last iteration, the core of this bike comes from the Panigale, which means the raft of enhancements have trickled down from the brand’s flagship 2022-spec sportsbike. There are far worse places to start, with the obvious gains including the litre larger fuel tank that’s supposedly shaped for better ergonomics when you’re giving it the big ‘uns on track. A less obvious difference is the higher set swingarm pivot point that’s been raised by 4mm. A new addition is a featherweight lithium-ion battery. This sounds a bit boring, but it saves the V4S a chunky 1.7kg and means, coupled with forged Marchesini wheels, that the model weighs in at a claimed 197.5kg.

You might have got his far and wonder what all the fuss is about. How is this bike truly different? Well, the truth is that the major gains to the 2023 machine revolve around its electronics – something we’re likely to see much more of in the coming years from all manufacturers.

The V4S also comes kitted with super-smart Ohlins EC2.0 electronic suspension that’s completely dialable via the dash and switchgears. As well as being customisable to suit a rider’s preferences, there are also four pre-determined base suspension maps that tally up with the four options of rider modes, which now includes wet, too. Likewise, there are now four options for engine performance, so you can cherry-pick just how far you want your arms to get pulled from their sockets – low, medium, high and full are all accessible at the touch of a button, altering the power delivery and, in the case of the low option, the output, which gets cut to 165bhp. That’s right, ‘low’ power is still a hefty 165bhp – or, in old money, the same amount of ponies you’d get from a 2008 Honda Fireblade. That one factor alone puts the Streetfighter’s heady performance into perspective, and something that ensures that the delivery is as mind-warping as you’d hope is the additional fettling Ducati’s done to the torque calibration for each of the bike’s six gears in each of the four power modes.For the first time ever, the brand’s been able to individually map each gear’s torque to give the rider the best experience possible – another way of saying that despite the fact there’s not a single horsepower gain to this year’s Streetfighter, it’s more potent than ever.

Last but not least, the other changes revolve around rider comfort, which is no bad thing. None of us are getting younger, so I was pleased to hear that the seat has been padded out by an additional 30mm, meaning 60mm of luxury for my derriere.

Much effort has also been put into keeping the bike cooler, with new ducts to help shift the heat from the bike, plus the addition of the rear-cylinder deactivation system that means only the front cylinders remain running when you’re ticking over at the traffic lights.

As for the remaining ergonomics, everything else is pretty much as what came before. The same wide, straight bars. The same spaciously placed pegs… Ducati wasn’t about to change something for the sake of it. Besides, I liked how familiar the bike felt when I hopped on one in Andalucía’s pitlane. The Spanish track was to be our playground for this firecracker, with five sessions of speed dating on the cards, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

Now, this is normally the part where I’d talk you through the whole experience, lap by lap, learning the bike as I went – which, to some extent, was what happened. But this joyride was more a reminder of its abilities, with a few added extras thrown in, thanks to its familiarity. That being the case, I’ll try to break down the package so you can get the fuller picture, with the biggest hitter first up…  its monstrous motor.

The old bike’s offering was a weapon and that’s exactly how I’d define this latest iteration. How on earth could you describe 205bhp and 123Nm of torque as anything other than mental? The power of this thing felt insane, as I was quickly reminded within about five seconds of joining the circuit and tackling the first bend, feeling the rear tyre forced into the ground as an unholy amount of energy did its best to scrub the face from the Pirelli SC1 slicks the bike was kitted with. Even with a raft of rider aids engaged, the V4S felt overwhelming, to the extent that I’d say it took me a couple of sessions to get my head around the energy on tap, which seemed as eager down low in the revs as it was up the very top. On the back straight, which is the best part of a kilometre long, the Ducati just didn’t stop pulling, fighting down wheelies for the first few gears before the challenge morphed into how long and far I could grip at the exposed bars at 265kph. My fingers were on fire, my neck stretched like a giraffe’s, but the pure pleasure of the experience meant that any degree of rider discomfort was outweighed by the tantalising joy that the V4 motor offered.

Tech spec

Ducati Streetfighter V4S

Price: £22,895
Engine: 1103cc 90° V4, liquid-cooled
Power: 205bhp @ 13,050rpm
Torque: 123Nm @ 9500rpm
Frame: Aluminum alloy ‘Front Frame’
Suspension: (F) Öhlins 43mm NIX30 forks, TiN treatment, Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 (R) Öhlins TTX36 unit, Öhlins Smart EC 2.0
Brakes: (F) Twin 330mm floating discs, Brembo Stylema monobloc (M4.30) calipers (R) Single 245mm disc, Brembo twin-piston caliper
Seat height: 845mm
Wet weight: 197.5kg
Fuel capacity: 17 litres
From: www.ducati.com

The lads at Fast Bikes magazine are the perfect people to test this monster from Ducati. If you want to know exactly how it goes on the road and track, scan the QR code and bag a copy of the latest issue.